We Should Have A Baby
by GeneHarlow
Summary: Alex and Norma decide to have a baby together, and experience a year of highs and lows as they try. Merry Ficmas! "We should have a baby." "What?" She breathed out, unsure of what she'd heard. "Let's have a baby."
1. Chapter 1

**This was inspired by a curiouscat who requested Norma and Alex trying for a baby, and the idea just kinda snowballed. Thanks for the idea!**

 **FULL DISCLAIMER HERE - This is not your average Christmas fic. It's not actually gonna be Christmas time until the final chapter and there is going to be ALOT of angst and heartache before we get there. There's really not that much fluff (well, there's a little bit?) and some of the chapters will have trigger warnings as and when I think they are needed. If you genuinely think this is gonna BUM YOU OUT before Christmas, I suggest you plan to read Chapters 1 and 2 and then Chapter 6. That's a genuine suggestion. I ain't kidding.**

 **Also, there will 6 chapters of this, posted in quick succession in the run up to Christmas, ending with the final fluff chapter on Christmas Eve.**

 **Merry ficmas!**

* * *

"We should have a baby."

Her hips were still undulating weakly against him, slowing to a stop as her breaths panted out against his cheek.

"What?" She breathed out, unsure of what she'd heard.

His hips twitched up into her unconsciously a couple more times, his hands sweeping up and down her back gently.

"Let's have a baby." He whispered again, and this time she was sure she'd heard him right, limply pushing herself up to look down at him.

"Are you serious?" She murmured incredulously, her mouth dropping open when he nodded seriously at her.

"I..." She started, her mouth flapping open and closed. "I... erm..."

She floundered, her eyes darting wildly around the room, coming to land on his face, his gaze still boring into hers.

"Can we not talk about this like, right now?" She let her eyes flick down to where their bodies were still joined and he nodded, holding his hands up to let her clamber off him.

He pulled the covers over himself, gazing at her expectantly when she glanced at him over her shoulder, making eye contact and then jumping up from the bed.

"Erm. I have to pee." She muttered, grabbing her robe as she passed it and disappearing into the bathroom.

When she returned a few minutes later, her satin robe wrapped around her, he was sat up against the headboard, waiting patiently and she couldn't help but smile at the sight of him. She clambered back onto the bed, sweeping her robe around herself as she settled herself cross legged, facing him, taking a deep breath.

"That isn't just something you decide on a whim-" She said finally, after the silence seemed to stretch on forever.

"It wasn't a whim." He said immediately, and she glanced up at him in surprise. "It's not a whim." He repeated seriously. "I've been thinking about this for a while."

"You have?" She asked dubiously, finding it hard to believe Sheriff Bulldog Romero had been harbouring a secret desire to be the LITERAL Big Daddy of White Pine Bay. He nodded shyly, crossing his hands on his stomach casually, like this conversation was no big deal.

"Since when?"

"Since..." He pondered for a moment, glancing up at the ceiling. "Christmas time maybe?"

"What?" She sat up straighter. They'd been married less than a month at Christmas.

"What?" She repeated, feeling her voice grow shriller.

She felt wholly unprepared for this conversation that he'd apparently been thinking about for months now. She tried to cast her mind back to Christmas, trying to look for clues of what he'd been thinking back then. It had been a strange sort of Christmas - There'd been so much happening, and they'd only been married a few weeks then. They'd spent most of the day in the car, going to visit a polite-but-distant Norman at Pine View, then visiting Dylan and Emma at Emma's father's, and then heading home to exchange gifts.

She fiddled with the earring in her earlobe, realising they were the earrings he'd given to her that day. She'd burst into tears when he gave them to her, tears that quickly dissolved into ugly sobs when the stress and tension of the day had finally caught up with her. She'd always loved Christmas, but there'd been no time to even enjoy their first one as a married couple - She felt a pang of guilt at the thought that he'd just been swept up into her crazy dramas. He'd held her then, shushing her and promising that next Christmas would be better. Nothing had made it seem like he was secretly planning on starting a family with her.

He gazed back at her calmly while she mulled all of this over.

"Alex, it's nearly March!" She pointed out, much louder than she intended to, and he frowned at her in confusion. She realised she sounded angry. She wasn't angry, she just felt a little stunned by this turn of events. It wasn't like the thought hadn't crossed her mind, but she'd never assumed he was thinking the same thing? For months now?

"Yeah. I've been..." He floundered a little. "letting the idea percolate." He grinned nervously at her. His calm demeanour finally seemed to be slipping in the face of her confused, almost affronted reaction.

"Pfft." She muttered quietly, and he opened his mouth to speak again, rolling his eyes when she held up a hand to stop him.

"We're too old to have a baby."

He huffed out a faux offended laugh.

"No we're not."

She crossed her arms in front of her chest, her gaze darting around the room like she was flicking through all the reasons not to do this. Alex's face fell a little.

"We barely know each other." She said halfheartedly, and he chuckled incredulously.

"You know what I mean." She added. "We haven't actually known each other that long."

"I know you well enough." He said quietly, casting his eyes down at his hands. "I know I love you?" He pointed out, shrugging and she cocked her head at his dejected face.

"I love you too." She reached out to lace her fingers with his. "But... I mean... We've only been married five minutes?" She observed softly, twisting her free hand in the fabric of her robe uneasily. She put on her cute little girl voice: "What if you get to know me a bit more and decide I'm terrible and crazy and you leave me for some simple, uncomplicated woman-"

He cut her off by reaching forwards and tugging her towards him, dragging her onto his lap. She'd been teasing him and they both knew it, but there was still a slight insecure undercurrent to what she'd been saying.

"I'm not going anywhere." He said seriously, wrapping his arms around her. Her hands draped loosely around his neck, and she pouted adorably at him. "You wont be getting rid of me that easily."

He could see her face beginning to soften as she settled her weight more comfortably across his legs, her thumbs brushing the shells of his ears while she considered for a moment.

"Do you know how much work a newborn is?"

He tried to keep his face neutral, pretending he couldn't hear the wistfulness in her voice.

"No. I don't." He said plainly. "I've never been a parent. I never wanted to be, not really. I never met anyone I wanted to have a child with. Not until you."

She gasped softly at his words, sitting back on his thighs to gaze at him seriously, her eyes shining a little.

Her fingers combed through the hair at the back of his neck, taking a moment to take it all in, while his hands absentmindedly stroked from her back down her thighs, exposed now the satin of her robe was spread open across his lap. When it seemed like she'd been quiet for too long, her eyes darting wildly around his face while she was lost in thought, he huffed out a sad little sigh, trying to fix a smile on his face.

"Look, I get it." He held his hands up, smiling warmly at her like it was no big deal. "You already did the whole baby thing. It's ok. Really." He said, fighting to keep the anguish and disappointment out of his voice. "It's ok that you don't want to. I just thought I'd-"

"I didn't say I didn't want to." She interrupted him gently, smiling at him, biting her lip. His face lit up, his hands sliding around her back to pull her closer.

"Really?" She nodded, beaming shyly at him, and he pulled back a little, fixing her with a sceptical look. "Are you sure? You went very quiet...?"

She rolled her eyes at him, trying to contain her happy grin.

"I was calculating how long it would take for my birth control to be out of my system."

He laughed happily, pulling her in for a searing, delighted kiss, his hands cupping her face.

"And?" He murmured against her lips.

"How do I know? I'm not a doctor." She giggled, and he stroked a messy curl out of her face, chuckling at her.

"Are we really gonna do this?"

"We're really gonna do this!" She agreed excitedly.

He kissed her again, his hands sliding down to toy with the belt on her robe.

"Do you think your birth control left your system yet?" He whispered, moving his lips along her jaw, licking softly at her pulse point.

"In the last ten minutes?" She muttered back, lifting her head to give him better access, her eyes drifting closed.

"Mm hm." He hummed out against her throat.

"Maybe." She deadpanned, as his hands undid her robe, pulling the satin aside, sliding his fingers around her bare waist. She shuffled forwards, settling herself on his growing erection, rubbing herself on him through the thin sheet between them.

"Like I said, Alex, I'm not a doctor." She shrugged innocently, arching her back as she ground herself down on him.

She gasped as he dipped his head, grazing her nipple with his teeth, then kissing the slight sting away.

"Well... can't hurt to try."


	2. Chapter 2

"Well?" He asked from the bathroom, poking his head out of the door, with his toothbrush hanging out of his mouth, toothpaste foam all over his face.

"I'm reading, I'm reading." She muttered, tutting at his impatience, frowning at the laptop screen. Her eyes darted back and forth as he disappeared, reappearing a few moments later, toothpaste free, sauntering back into the bedroom.

"According to google, I am now contraception-free." She announced, and he grinned at her, climbing onto the bed and crawling over to her slowly.

She frowned, ignoring his seduction as he ran his hand along her bare ankle, clambering over to her.

"It says chances of conception over 40 are less than 30%..." She read out unhappily, pouting at the screen, continuing to read, ignoring him still. His hand slid up her leg, sliding up her inner thigh, and she shifted her thighs open automatically, still barely even noticing him, frowning unhappily at the screen.

"And there's an increased risk of miscarriage and birth defects!" She read outloud, her tone growing panicked.

"Ok. Stop." He said firmly, slamming the lid of the laptop shut, and pushing it to one side, hooking his hands under her knees and dragging her down the bed.

She pouted miserably up at him as he laid himself down on top of her, stroking the hair away from her unhappy face.

"Norma." He said seriously, making her look at him. "Do you remember the lump on the back of my knee?"

She nodded at him, still frowning sadly.

"What did google tell you it was?"

A small smile pulled at her lips as she realised where he was going with this.

"A tumour." She said, in her innocent little voice, sliding her foot down the back of his leg, letting her hands stroke gently along his biceps where he was holding his weight off her.

"And what did it turn out to be?" He pecked her lips, both of them smiling now.

"A mosquito bite." She admitted, shivering as his hand trailed down the side of her face, sliding down her side and slipping under the t shirt she was wearing. It was one of his, and he smirked as he realised it. She knew how much he loved her wearing his clothes, and he leaned down to kiss her neck.

"There. No more google." He commanded.

"But-"

"No. More. Google." He punctuated each word with a soft kiss against the column of her throat, shuffling down her body to tug the oversized shirt to the side, kissing along her shoulder. Her hands slid up his chest, raking through his chest hair, before wrapping around the back of his neck, pulling him up to kiss her, tasting the spearmint on his lips. Her tongue swept into his mouth as her thighs dropped open, making room for him to nestle snugly between them.

"Hey Norma?" He murmured against her lips, his hand sweeping across the smooth plain of her stomach, trying to imagine it rounder and firmer, trying to picture what she would look like pregnant with his child. The thought turned him on in a confusing way.

"Yeah?" She tilted her hips upwards, rubbing her body against his.

"You wanna make a baby?" He whispered, dropping his hand down to skim over the fabric of her underwear, enjoying the way she trembled at his light touches.

"Hm." She shrugged casually, her hands sliding down the back of his boxers, pushing them down a little. "I guess so."

She giggled as he suddenly tickled her sides, squirming underneath him and he took the opportunity to sit up suddenly, sitting back on his haunches and hooking his hands into her underwear, sliding them down her legs and tossing them behind him with a little flourish.

He moved like he was going to duck his head down, and she sat up suddenly, shaking her head at him, pulling his t shirt over her head and throwing it to the side. Her chest heaved as she panted.

"Mm mm." She shook her head, slapping his hand away as he started sliding his hand up her inner thigh.

"Enough foreplay." He laughed, shocked at her words. There had been almost literally no foreplay, but he wasn't going to argue, not when she had that determined look in her eye.

"I want you." She panted out, tugging at his boxers, fumbling to pull them down his legs and then clambering onto his lap. He had barely settled her weight, barely wrapped his arms around her, before she was sinking down, slowly sliding him into her wet heat, and he smirked against her cheek. Apparently he wasn't the only one weirdly turned on by the whole idea?

She began moving, his hands holding onto her hips, crushing his lips against hers and swallowing her soft panting moans as she bounced.

"Oh." She wrenched her lips away from his, holding onto his shoulders, leaning back to look at him. "I almost forgot-"

She sounded absurdly composed, only her slightly ragged breathing giving her away.

"We have to finish at the same time." She announced casually, and he spluttered out a little laugh, her movements slowing a little.

"What? Why?"

She shrugged, her eyes closing as she circled her hips in languid circles.

"I keep telling you, Alex - I'm not a doctor. But google said..."

He nodded suddenly. He wasn't going to argue with google on this. There was a pause, where he just watched her face as she rolled her hips steadily, her fingers digging in to his shoulders.

"Why? Are you close?" He muttered dubiously, feeling her muscles flutter around him at his question.

"No." She shot back, cutting down the slight hint of pride in his voice, gasping as he lunged forwards, sucking one taut nipple into his mouth.

"Well... kinda." She admitted, letting her head drop back, arching her back as her movements sped up a little.

He smirked at her, groaning as her pace increased, her motions growing rougher, more careless, his hand having to shoot out behind him to keep them both upright.

"Jesus." He murmured against the skin between her breasts. He would have suggested having a baby months ago if he'd known it would elicit this sort of reaction.

Her eyes shot open, finding him staring at her, taken aback for a moment at how impossibly blue they looked in this moment, and she smiled breathlessly at him.

"Our baby's gonna be so beautiful." He blurted out before he could stop himself, and her mouth dropped open, her eyes slamming shut again, her brow furrowing.

She managed to flutter her eyes open to look at him again, nodding wordlessly, clutching desperately at his back, and he suddenly tightened his grip around her, holding her against him as he laid her back, never disengaging their bodies from each other.

"What-" She panted out. "Alex, don't stop." She muttered, and he didn't, carrying on the furious pace she'd set before, snapping his hips back and forth, slamming into her. Her moans grew to a emphatic crescendo, before quietening for a moment, and he pushed himself up to gaze down at her face, contorted with concentration.

"Yeah?" He managed to choke out, and she nodded, her bottom lip trembling, her eyes remaining shut.

"Yes, yes..." She muttered, before she was raking her nails painfully down his back, a series of frantic, broken screams escaping her lips, and he obediently followed her into the abyss, letting the tightening of her body pull him over the edge with her.

He weakly let his hips shudder back and forth a few more times, spilling out into her, letting her limbs hold him close to pull him deep inside as he collapsed on top of her.

They stayed like that for a few moments, her legs wrapped around his waist, her arms sliding weakly from his back to flop down on the pillow next to her, their panting beginning to slow into normal breathing.

"Do you think we did it?" She asked sweetly, and he laughed, pushing himself up on trembling arms to smile down at her.

"Oh yeah. 100%. That was the one." He grinned at her, and she nodded seriously.

"I think so too."

He pecked the tip of her nose, pushing himself up, slowly sliding out of her and rolling bonelessly to her side.

"Can you pass me a pillow?"

He rolled his eyes, reaching for a pillow. He already knew what she was going to do with it, and he chuckled as she slid it under her ass, letting the pillow tilt her hips up.

"You're ridiculous." He laughed, reaching to help her settle the pillow under her more comfortably.

"I'm just taking it seriously, Alex." She smiled at him, as he reached for the quilt, pulling it up and tucking it around her. "When have I ever half-assed something? I'm not about to start now."

He shook his head, chuckling as he settled down next to her, reaching across her to turn the light off. She had a point. When Norma Bates set her mind to something, she pretty much always got her way.

She reached for his hand in the darkness, wrapping it around her, his fingers splaying out across her stomach, nuzzling his head sleepily against her shoulder.

"Besides..." She broke off to yawn, resting her hand over his. "If we get a move on, we might have a baby by next Christmas."


	3. Chapter 3

It became apparent that they weren't going to get their baby by Christmas. The weeks ticked by, with Norma growing more frantic every time that single pink line kept showing up, taunting her.

"Well?" He asked, just a few months down the line, yelling over the sound of the running shower. He could see her faint outline through the shower curtain, pacing up and down the bathroom while he showered. He watched as her silhouette padded towards the sink, heard the faint clink of plastic on porcelain as she turned the stick over.

She let out an anguished scream of frustration, and there was a clattering that let him know she'd thrown the pregnancy test against the wall, knocking several things over as she did so.

"Hey, hey!" He tore the shower curtain back, throwing his arms around her, neither of them caring that he was naked and wet and she was fully dressed and dry.

"It'll happen." He assured her gently, as she cried, her frustrations becoming apparent as she clutched at him, pressing her face against his wet chest, sobbing quietly.

"It'll happen." He repeated, not sure he believed himself anymore.

He started getting texts at work that just said "I'm ovulating. Come home at lunch."

"The romance is dead." He joked, as she tore his clothes off him, pulling him into Room 11, not even bothering to make it up to the house.

A strange sort of tension began to settle over them, as she grew more distant, and he tried desperately to pretend that he wasn't as upset by their difficulties conceiving as she was. In truth, he felt just as devastated as she did every time she emerged from the bathroom, her face crumpling, feeling the pressure grow as the weeks ticked by.

Realistically, he knew they were both being ridiculous. They were older, and they'd barely been trying for any time at all, but he could tell that they'd both secretly thought it would be easy - They were fit and healthy, healthier than most people their age, and boy, did they have alot of sex. Silently, he'd assumed they'd have no problem conceiving a baby.

Private fears began to set in as the days crept by. She already had two kids - What if he was the problem? He didn't voice this secret fear, but he let it creep into his mind, taking hold like a weed. He couldn't bear it if he was the reason for the sadness that was starting to touch Norma's eyes.

"Harder." She demanded one night. They'd barely spoken at dinner, and when he'd laid her down on the bed, she'd kissed him for a few minutes, pumping her hand lazily on him, before pulling her nightgown off unceremoniously. She had rolled onto her stomach, grabbing a pillow and shoving it underneath her, tilting her hips up.

"We should try this..." She started, and he sighed. "It said on-"

"Google." He finished her sentence for her, his tone weary and she glanced over her shoulder, nodding at him.

"Ok." He agreed, because he would never deny her anything, though he wasn't sure he liked it like this. He missed looking into her eyes, missed kissing her and feeling her hands clutching at him. This felt less intimate somehow as he leaned over her, thrusting into her hard.

She reached behind her, grabbing his hand on the bed next to her, where it was holding his weight up and he smiled down at the back of her neck, watching as the muscles in her back began to go taut, focusing on the feeling of her hand holding his.

"Deeper." She urged frantically, her voice muffled against the pillow, her hand releasing his to grab fistfuls of the sheets beneath her, and then it was over, and they groaned quietly together as he emptied himself inside her. He hoped that wasn't the one. He didn't like the idea of their child being conceived in such a rushed, emotionless moment. He compared it to the first night they had tried, remembering how excited they'd both been at the idea of making a baby together, feeling such an infinite loving connection between them. He couldn't feel that right now, as he withdrew, laying down next to her, staring at the ceiling as she rolled onto her back, pulling her knees up against her chest.

"I miss you." He muttered out before he could stop himself, feeling her head drop to the side to gaze at him questioningly.

"What?"

He turned to look at her, his eyes scanning her face.

"I... miss you. I miss us."

A beat passed, and he was worried she was going to pretend she didn't feel it too, but then she sighed heavily, casting her gaze to the sheets for a second.

"Me too." She admitted, pressing her hand against her eyes, then running it through her hair.

"I'm sorry." She muttered quietly, slowly lowering her legs back down, shaking her head at the ceiling.

"I've been..."

Obsessed, he wanted to say, but he didn't. He just scooched forwards, rolling onto his side, and tugging her hand, pulling her to lie facing him. She shuffled round, resting her head on her elbow, biting her lip.

"I know it's disappointing." He said gently, trailing his fingers down her arm.

She nodded back.

"I'm disappointed too." He admitted, and her bottom lip trembled as she pushed her face against the pillows, hiding from him.

"With me? Because I can't get pregnant?" She asked, in a tiny voice, her words muffled against the pillow.

"What?" He choked out, shocked. "Norma... No."

He hooked a finger under her chin, turning her to look at him.

"No." He repeated seriously.

"I thought maybe you were mad?" She admitted softly, pouting.

"Are you crazy?" He blurted out, and she glanced at him, her eyes wide and sad.

"I'm not mad. I could never be..." He floundered, shaking his head at the idea that he would be angry with her over this.

"I'm sad." He said finally, after a long pause. "I'm sad because it's not happening and we both thought it would."

She smiled, half nodding, confirming that he wasn't the only one who'd naively assumed it would be easy.

"And I'm sad because you're sad. And I don't know how to make it better." He confessed quietly, distracting himself from looking at her heartbroken face by running his finger tip up and down the smooth curve of her waist.

There was a long silence, where his finger tips kept stroking gently up and down her side, and her hand came up to rest on the side of his cheek, her thumb tracing his eyebrow.

"And I feel like you're... I dunno... pulling away from me?" He revealed, looking deeply uncomfortable to be talking about feelings. He never had any problem telling her how much he loved her, but this was something else entirely, and she knew it. She unconsciously shifted her body towards his, rubbing her foot along his ankle.

"Sometimes, I feel like you're not really here?" Her mouth dropped open at his admission. She knew he had a point. She'd gotten carried away, treating him more like a piece of meat than her husband.

"I just feel like there's alot of pressure and..." She cut him off by swinging towards him, kissing him gently, her fingers brushing his earlobe as she cupped his face.

"I'm sorry." She murmured, pulling back, sweeping her hand down the side of his neck, her eyes darting from his sad eyes to his lips and back again.

"I just... I just want this so much. I... guess I got a little..." She looked like she was about to cry and he swooped forwards, kissing her again.

"It's ok. It's ok." He murmured against her lips, never breaking the kiss, feeling her hand clutch on to his shoulder, pulling him closer, her breasts brushing against his chest. He deepened the kiss naturally, swiping his tongue into her mouth, his grip on her waist tightening a little as their bodies pressed together.

"You wanna go again?" He muttered against her jaw, and her hand drifted down his chest, sandwiching between them to curl her fingers around him by way of answer.

"Yes." She whispered breathlessly, her hand moving on him, stroking him in slow languid pumps, while his own hand slid down her thigh, gripping and hitching it up over his hip, opening her up to him.

"And not just because..." She trailed off as his fingers found her clit, circling gently, watching her face as her eyes drifted shut.

"Yes." She repeated simply, as he increased his pressure, her own movements speeding up a little too, feeling him hardening under her hand.

She gasped as he slid his fingers inside of her, his thumb never slowing it's circles around her clit, and she wrapped her leg around him more firmly, opening her thighs more to him. He made a move as if to roll her onto her back, but she resisted, instead pushing him back, their hands reluctantly releasing each other as she rolled herself on top of him.

She smiled down at him wickedly, her breaths already panting out hard as she reached between them, guiding him to her entrance and sinking down slowly on him. She paused, leaning down to kiss the look of breathless shock from his face. He felt like it had been an age since he'd seen her like this, taking control, her slight weight resting on top of him, her blonde curls hanging down into his face, ever since the all-knowing google told her that it wasn't the best position for conception. He'd missed it.

"But what about gravity?" He murmured, half jokingly, as she started a steady rocking motion, his hands digging into her ass, spurring her on. She'd made the inelegant point that she couldn't go on top while they were trying for a baby "because... gravity", a theory that had made him laugh and frown in equal measures.

"Fuck gravity." She panted out, increasing her pace, sitting up and leaning back, resting her hands on his knees. He laughed out a frantic groan at her words, not daring to take his eyes off her. She was beautiful, her teeth clasped around her bottom lip, her eyes squeezed shut, her halo of blonde waves bouncing around her face.

She flopped forwards a little, dragging her nails down his chest lightly, her soft moans growing louder and he groaned at the sensation, his head dropping back against the pillows.

"Come back to me." He muttered without thinking, and she just gasped, leaning forwards, panting against his cheek.

"Come back to me..." He murmured again, and she was quiet for a second, before she cried out, her fingers digging in hard to his shoulders for support.

"Yes, yes..." She panted frantically, and he came with her, bucking up and meeting her last few thrusts as she falteringly crashed down on him a few more times, grabbing a handful of her hair while he groaned loudly.

She collapsed on him, their sweaty torsos pressed together as she gave up holding up her weight all together, breathing hard in his ear. He blew a tendril of hair out of his face, chuckling slightly, his hands smoothing up and down her back.

"Am I crushing you?" She muttered sleepily, and he barked out a short laugh. She was light as a feather, draped across his chest.

"Yeah, cause you weigh 500 pounds, Norma." He deadpanned, and she pushed herself up a few inches to slap his chest in faux annoyance.

She managed to weakly sit up, and he watched her satisfied smile as she gazed down at him, his hands trailing up her thighs, proudly revelling in the way they were still quivering under his hands.

She flipped over to the side, falling limply next to him, both of them panting out at the ceiling for a few minutes.

"Alex... do you think-"

He cut her off, his hands finding hers, entwining their fingers.

"It'll happen, Norma." He assured her, not letting her finish her question. "It'll happen when it happens."

He raised her hand to his lips.

"Ok? Let's just take the pressure off?"

He felt her nod gratefully next to him, giving his hand a little squeeze and then rolling on to her side, wrapping herself around him.

"Ok." She agreed.

"I love you..."


	4. Chapter 4

**This includes a curious cat request for some really cute hugging in the office. Hope this is cute enough for you!**

* * *

Weeks went by and, aside from sneakily taking her temperature now and then, Norma mostly kept to their agreement to keep the pressure off. The distance between them closed up again, and some of the tension lifted. There were still moments where he felt her desperation, of course, but they had decided not to focus on it. Instead, they just decided to enjoy having the most sex either of them had had in their lives, and try to avoid the topic of baby making altogether.

One morning, Alex strolled back into the bedroom doing up his shirt buttons to find her frowning at herself in the full length mirror. He watched her for a moment, hungrily watching as she turned back and forth, her hands on her hips as she gazed at her reflection.

"Something wrong?" He murmured and she jumped, her hand flying to her chest, spinning to face him. He was worried she was picking her appearance apart - She was generally confident, but he was aware that most women had insecurities, even if she didn't share them with him.

"I look really good today." She blurted out, and he laughed in surprise.

"Ok." He was expecting that, nor the confused expression on her face. "Yeah, you do." He agreed, stalking over to her, his gaze turning predatory. He came to stand behind her, resting his head on her shoulder, looking her up and down in the mirror. She was wearing a flimsy black slip, a floral shirt dress hanging limply from her hands as she gazed curiously at herself.

"You always look good." He whispered.

"You don't think I look different today?"

He barely glanced at her, shaking his head and turning his attention to the side of her neck, sweeping her hair to the side. He pressed a kiss against her neck, running his hands down the lengths of her arms and then sliding them across her abdomen, sinking lower.

Her hands shot out to stop him, wriggling out of his grasp, pushing his hands away.

"Not now, Alex." She muttered, and began walking away from him. He was too shocked for a moment to move, his mouth hanging open, before he glanced at himself in the mirror, coming to his senses and catching up to her.

"What's wrong?" He queried, genuinely confused as to her reaction, grasping her wrist and pulling her back to face him. The perturbed look finally dropped from her face and she shook her head, shaking herself out of her little mood, finally smiling up at him.

"Nothing." She leaned up to kiss him. "Nothing. I'm just... I dunno. I feel a little off today."

She shook her head before he could say another word, craning up on her toes to kiss him, running her hands through his hair. Before he could deepen the kiss, she was pulling back, smiling sweetly at him.

"Have a good day at work." She said, and he reluctantly let her go, turning to walk away, still feeling a little off-kilter from Norma's moods. She swatted him playfully on the ass as he turned.

"Try not to miss me too much." She whispered seductively, biting her thumb and he raised his eyebrows at her, before scurrying away. The sooner he got there, the sooner he could come home.

* * *

"Mr Romero?" Janine's voice crackled over the intercom, and Alex put his pen down wearily, pressing the talk button.

"Sheriff, Janine. _Sheriff_ Romero." He corrected her and there was a long silence from the intercom, before she spoke again.

"Sheriff Romero?"

"Yes Janine?" He tried to keep his patience with her, jumping as the door to his office was suddenly opened without knocking, swinging open to reveal Norma standing there, grinning at him.

"Your wife is here to see you." He smirked at her, rolling his eyes as she entered the room.

"Ok. Thank you Janine." He clicked the intercom off, grinning at Janine's constant ineptitude.

"Are Janine and Regina together?" She asked, before he could greet her, as she tossed her bag on the floor, clicking the door shut behind her.

He spluttered out a gentle laugh.

"Janine? And Regina? Erm.. no?" He chuckled at her, and she shook her head, shrugging her coat off and throwing it onto the chair opposite his desk.

He watched her curiously for a moment, as she nervously paced, and he felt like he needed to stand aswell, suddenly sharing in this nervous energy she'd tracked in with her.

"Ok then." She didn't sound convinced, but she immediately dismissed the idea, turning to face him finally, rubbing her hands together.

"I fainted at the grocery store."

"What?" He sprung forwards, navigating around his desk to reach for her. "When?"

"Like, twenty minutes ago. I was just at the store in town." She jerked her head to the side, while he wrapped his arms around her, sliding up and down her sides like he was checking her for injuries.

"Jesus, Norma. Are you ok?"

She nodded tightly, her expression still unreadable.

"I didn't **faint** faint." She clarified, and he resisted the urge to laugh at her. "I felt faint."

She was so dramatic at times, but he still felt a pang of concern for her, smoothing the hair away from her face. She looked troubled, or nervous, or... something he couldn't quite put his finger on, something that made her feel like she had to walk across town to come and visit him in the middle of the day.

She opened her mouth, like she was going to say something, closing it again and reaching for his hands, sliding them down her body and pressing them firmly against her breasts.

"Er-" He floundered out, frowning in confusion at her as she insistently pushed his hands against her.

"I'm not imagining it, right?" She demanded, and he shook his head, staring at her open mouthed. "They're bigger, right?" She glanced down at her chest and he snorted out a surprised laugh, letting his gaze drift down, cupping her breasts through her dress, taking their weight into his hands, frowning a little when he realised she was right.

"I've been thinking it for weeks now but today?" She narrowed her eyes at her breasts, where he was gently squeezing them, cocking his head at them like a perplexed puppy.

"Norma... what-" He started, a realisation dawning on him, a wide smile spreading across his face. "Oh my god. Are you... Does this mean-?"

She nodded happily.

"I'm not sure but... I think so." He wrapped his arms around her, lifting her up and spinning her round, as she squealed and giggled delightedly.

"Oh my god." He muttered against her hair, sweeping her up into his arms and carrying her over to his big office chair. He sat down heavily, settling her across his lap, and she leaned into him, nuzzling his chin, draping her arms around his neck.

"It's not 100% ya know." She added, as he snuggled her close, hooking his finger under her chin to press a soft kiss against her lips.

"Mm hm."

"I haven't taken a test or anything." She pointed out, and he ignored her, letting his hand slide from her waist to her stomach, pressing his hand there while he kissed her.

Her hand came to rest over his, squeezing his fingers, as he peppered her face with tiny, soft little kisses that made her giggle.

They jumped at a knock on the door, and Norma made to get up, giggling as Alex held her in place on his lap, tickling her lightly.

"Mr Romero?" Janine's uncertain voice rang out from the other side of the door, and Alex just smiled down at Norma, who was raising one eyebrow at him quizzically.

"Come in, Janine." He shouted back, and the door swung open, Janine standing hesitantly in the doorway for a moment as she took in Norma draped across Alex's lap.

"Oh. Erm... Sorry-" She span on her heel, ready to walk away, stopped when Norma's voice rang out.

"It's ok." She assured her, smiling sweetly at her like there was nothing strange about Sheriff Bulldog Romero having his wife sitting on his lap in his office.

"Ok... Erm... I brought those papers you asked for, Mr Romero? Sorry, Sheriff Romero." She corrected herself, stammering, trying to look anywhere but at the happy couple perched on the office chair in front of her.

"Call me Alex." He blurted out suddenly, and the girl's mouth dropped open for a second, as she rushed forwards to deposit the papers on his desk.

Norma whispered something in his ear discreetly and he smirked a little.

"Oh and Janine? I know we normally stagger our breaks here, but, if you want, you and Regina can take your lunch break together today?"

Her entire face lit up.

"Really?"

He nodded, and all three of them smiled, before she was rushing out of his office, sprinting through the doorway.

"Thanks!"

He chuckled, turning his attention back to his wife, held so gently in his arms.

"Well shit. You were right."

She giggled happily, stroking her hand up and down his arm.

"I'm always right. You should know that by now."

He grinned at her, leaning towards her for another kiss, pulling back as he realised something.

"Shit. It should not be necessary to tell her this-" He mumbled to himself, tightening his grip on Norma to lean forwards, pressing the intercom button.

"Janine? Don't go now. It's 10:15. You can go at lunchtime."

"Ohhh... ok." Came the dumbfounded reply, and Norma giggled. She'd heard stories of Janine's legendary stupidity but it was her first time seeing it first time, curling up against Alex's chest as she laughed.

"Wow."

"I know, right?"


	5. Chapter 5

**MAJOR TRIGGER WARNING. I'M LEGIT SERIOUS ABOUT THIS.**

 **If you are pregnant, or have ever experienced any problems with a pregnancy, I really want you to think before you read this. I couldn't bear the idea of someone being really upset by something I'd written.**

 **If you don't wanna read it, it's cool - Chapter 6 kinda works as an almost standalone story, so if you skip this, it'll still make sense.**

* * *

Norma insisted on them going about the rest of the day like nothing was going on, despite Alex's suggestion that he take the day off with her.

"No! Don't be ridiculous. You need to stay here so you can fill me in on all the gossip." She'd protested, as he helped her back into her coat.

"What gossip?" He handed her her purse.

"The unfolding lesbian romance?" She said incredulously, like he was being absurd for not immediately knowing what she was talking about as she span on her heel to face him.

"Oh. Of course. Yeah, I'm sure I'll think of nothing else today..."

She grinned at him, leaning up to kiss him again, pulling back before he could deepen it and convince her to stay a little longer. She slapped his hands from her waist, taking a step back.

"I'll see you at home."

And then she was gone, and Alex could barely contain the grin on his face for the rest of the day, even making a mental note of Regina and Janine's lovestruck smiles after lunch to tell Norma all about when he got home.

Her car was gone when he got home and he frowned at the empty space where her green mercedes normally sat, glancing around the empty parking lot.

"Norma?" He called out when he opened up the door. It hadn't been locked, but then she rarely locked the door. It drove him crazy.

"Norma?" He called out a little louder, greeted with nothing but silence. He'd stopped off at the store on his way home, picking up a pregnancy test, and a box of those tiny fancy chocolates he knew she liked, and he placed the items on the side table, feeling a sense of panic begin to take hold.

"Norma?!" He yelled again, though he already knew she wasn't here. He reached for his phone, freezing when it started to ring in his pocket.

 _Norma Bates calling._

"Oh thank God." He muttered to himself, sliding to answer the call.

"Hey, where are you? I just got home and-"

He trailed off as he heard her sniffle deeply, followed by a silence where he could hear the bustle and movement of people in the background.

"Alex?" She said, in a strange, cold sort of voice.

"Yeah. Norma, where are you?"

"Erm..." She cleared her throat. "I'm at the hospital. You have to come drive me home."

A cold sense of dread washed over him and he felt his knees go weak. He clung to the edge of the side table for support.

"Are you ok?" He muttered, though he knew she wasn't.

There was a long silence.

"They wont let me drive home. You have to come get me."

He opened his mouth to speak, but she hung up and he stared at the phone for a long time before trying to call her back, feeling like his hands weren't working properly.

It went straight to voicemail and he cursed her for a second. Calm down, Alex, he told himself, as he took a deep breath, grabbing his car keys and heading down the steps. Her phone could have died; She might have no signal? He tried not to focus on the fact that she might have turned her phone off, that she might deliberately not want to talk to him, because that would mean...

No. He pushed the idea from his head. There was no use panicking till he got there, so he focused on his driving, staring ahead at the road, his knuckles gripping the steering wheel hard. He continually glanced at his phone on the seat next to him, waiting for a call that wasn't coming.

"I'm looking for my wife, Norma Bates." He tried to keep calm as the woman at the front desk seemed to take an age to find her name on her computer.

"Ward 7C, Room 8, Mr Bates." The receptionist gestured broadly to the labyrinth of rooms behind her, and he couldn't even be bothered to correct her, just took off at a sprint, checking the ward labels as he passed.

"-And I'm telling you! I can drive myself!" He heard her voice coming from a curtained off little section at the end of the ward, yelling angrily, like she always did, and his heart soared a little. She sounded like herself, and he wondered if maybe his panic had been too hasty?

"Norma?" He tore the curtain back to see her sitting stiffly on the edge of a hospital bed. Her face was streaked with long-dried tears and she closed her mouth, mid rant at the terrified looking nurse who was trying to calm her down.

"Mr Bates?" She asked timidly, but he couldn't tear his eyes from Norma, her wide eyes boring into his, telling him everything he needed to know.

"I'm her husband." He said lamely.

The nurse nodded sympathetically, stepping around him and moving to shut the curtain behind her.

"I'll just give you two a minute..." She murmured, and if he hadn't already known, her gentle professional tone would have given it away.

"Norma, are you ok-" He started, taking a tiny, shaky step towards her, and she cut him off, dropping her eyes to the floor, one hand gripping the edge of the bed, the other held up defensively to stop him.

"It didn't take." She muttered, so quietly he could barely hear her. There was a pause, where she looked up at him, shrugging with one shoulder, her bottom lip trembling.

"It... It didn't take." She said again, gesturing glumly to her stomach, her tone cold and detached, clearly fighting hard to keep from dissolving into tears.

"Oh honey..." He whispered, feeling his own eyes prickle as he watched her shrug down at the floor like she was fine.

He rushed forwards, folding his arms around her, pulling her face against his chest, wondering if she could hear his heart breaking through his shirt. He held her for a moment, pressing a kiss against the top of her head, stroking his hands down her hair, before looking up at the ceiling, cursing a god he hadn't believed in for a long time.

"I'm so sorry." He breathed out, brokenly, feeling his voice crackle, his devastation apparent. Her hands came up to stiffly wrap around him, but her whole body remained rigid and tense in his arms.

"I just wanna go home." She said, muffled against his chest, and he pulled back to look at her. Her expression was unreadable, her wild eyes darting all around his face, as he cupped her face in his hands.

"They wouldn't let me drive myself home!" She complained, sounding just like herself again, pulling her face from his grip, and reaching behind her for her purse, impatient to leave.

"I just... I just wanna go home." She said again, in a much smaller voice now, addressing his chest. "Will you take me home?" She sounded like a small child, and he nodded, taking a step back numbly to allow her to jump down from the bed. She winced as she stood, and he immediately wrapped an arm around her waist, taking a little of her weight, feeling her body shaking against his as she leaned against him.

"Oh, Mr and Mrs Bates?" The polite professional nurse from before stopped them as they slowly passed. "You need to sign the discharge forms before you can go."

She held out a small stack of papers to them, smiling a small smile and Norma all but growled at her.

"I'm not signing anything." She hissed at the girl, her slow, uncomfortable steps never faltering as she moved past her.

"But... I'm not supposed to let you leave without signing t-"

"I just wanna go home." Norma whimpered, directing her words to Alex and Alex alone, and he frowned.

"I really just need you to-"

"My wife said no!" He yelled suddenly, turning his head to address the girl who immediately fell back, the papers dropping limply to her side.

"Send anything you need to White Pine Bay Sheriff's office." He said firmly, lowering his voice a little. "I'm taking my wife home now." He said simply over his shoulder, and she nodded. He turned back, feeling her tighten her grip on his jacket, finding her shooting him a grateful look before they started moving again.

The ride home was almost silent. Norma gazed out of the window unseeingly the whole way home, her hand idly toying with the fabric of her dress around her stomach, sniffling occasionally. Alex shot glances at her the whole way, driving slowly, carefully, doing his best to keep the car moving as smoothly as possible, while still getting her home as fast as he could.

"You ok?" He asked, immediately hating himself for asking such a completely stupid question.

"They said I'll be fine." She answered robotically, never dragging her glazed stare from out of the window.

"I can't make dinner tonight." She said suddenly, her tone almost apologetic, like she owed him a hot cooked meal every night. He would have laughed if he could feel anything but misery right now.

"We can order in? Anything you like?" He offered, feeling his words falling so short of what she needed right now. He just didn't know what the right thing to say was.

"I'll even go get thai food from that place I hate?" He added, trying to keep his tone light.

"I'm not hungry." She said, and he nodded. Of course she wasn't. Neither was he. He felt sick to his stomach. He couldn't think of anything worse than eating right now.

"Ok."

There was a silence as he pulled onto the road where they lived, seeing the house looming up ahead. He took a deep breath.

"Do you want to talk about-"

"No." She cut him off coolly.

She was jumping out of the car before he'd even turned the engine off, taking off up the steps, her arm wrapped around her middle as she slowly started picking her way up the stairs.

He ran to catch up with her, sliding his arm around her, firmly grasping her other hand and pulling it around his shoulder, pulling her against him to help her up the steps.

"Thanks." She breathed out, focusing on the steps ahead as he half dragged her up to the house, pausing to unlock the door and help her inside.

He unhooked her arm from around him, determined to actually lock the door behind them for once. He didn't want anything else to worry about tonight, straightening up once he was confident they were safe in their home for the night, turning and noticing her staring in horror at something ahead of her.

"Oh god, Norma I-" He jumped forwards, darting around her, realising her horrified eyes were focused on the pregnancy test sat on the table in the foyer.

She snatched it from his hands before he could do anything with it, staring down at it for a moment, and for a second, he had no idea what she was thinking, no idea what she was about to do.

She screamed suddenly, an anguished howl of grief and heartbreak, hurling the box at the wall with all of her strength, making him jump in the process. Her scream continued until she ran out of breath, doubled over, her body crumpling under the emotional and physical pain of it, and he finally moved. He jumped forwards, wrapping his arms around her as she sank slowly to the floor, her hoarse cries turning into ragged, broken sobs as he dropped to the ground with her.

"I'm so sorry." He murmured helplessly, as her legs collapsed under her, flopping out to the side, her hands coming up to cover her face as she wailed against his chest.

He felt his own resolve break, tears flowing down as his face as he sat heavily with her, wrapping her up, pulling her trembling body against his, feeling more powerless than he ever had done in his life.

"It isn't fair!" She sobbed the words over and over, punching her little fists against his chest, and he relished the slight pain she caused him if it felt like it helped her at all.

"I know." He agreed, clutching desperately at her back, holding her for what felt like a long time as her cries quieted to soft sniffles and she leaned on him so heavily that he wondered if she'd cried herself to sleep. He wiped his hand over his wet face.

"Come on." He muttered, sliding one hand under her knees, scooping her up as gently as he could, struggling to his feet. She felt heavier than usual, as if the burden of what she was feeling was physically weighing her down, as she curled up against his body, holding tight around his neck.

He walked smoothly up the stairs, depositing her gently on the bed and pulling back to stroke the side of her face tenderly, before reaching to shuffle the covers from under her, pulling them back and moving to the foot of the bed.

He undid her leather boots, sliding each one from her foot, and tossing them to the floor, before he crossed over to the dresser, routing through it to find her something to wear.

"One of yours." She commanded in a small voice, and he almost smiled, holding out an old grey POLICE sweatshirt for her approval. She nodded, rubbing her fingers under her eyes, sniffling and beginning to undo the buttons on her dress. He tugged her forwards a little, sitting her up and helping her pull the dress over her head, leaving her shivering for a second in her slip, that same black slip she'd worn this morning, a lifetime ago.

She held her arms up like a little kid, letting him pull the sweatshirt over her head, tugging it down around her and then pulling the covers up, tucking her in. She shuffled down under the covers, flinching a little and pressing her face against the pillow.

"It hurts." She whimpered.

"Where?" He held back fresh tears as he gazed down at her, wanting to do something, anything to make this better.

"Everywhere." She replied, one hand clutching at her stomach, the other pressed against her heart like it was causing her physical pain, and he felt himself suck in a shaky breath.

"Ok." He said uselessly, sweeping out of the room suddenly.

He returned a few minutes later, carefully carrying a tray laden with things, rounding the side of the bed and depositing the tray on her bedside table.

"Ok, I brought ibuprofen, and a hot water bottle-" She sat up a little, watching as he pointed nervously to each item on the tray. "-and I made you a cup of camomile but then I wasn't sure if that was what you wanted, so I also brought you a scotch, and I know you said you weren't hungry, but there's some toast there if you want it-"

He was cut off as she suddenly reached for him, fresh tears springing to her eyes, tugging him down by the back of his neck to rest his forehead against hers.

"Thank you."

They just breathed together for a moment, before she released him and he pulled back an inch or two, gazing at her, rubbing his thumbs across her cheeks, wiping the tears from her skin.

"Hot water bottle and scotch." She said suddenly, and he frowned until he realised what she meant, hurrying to hand her both items. She drained the glass in one, handing it back to him and then curling onto her side, pressing the hot water against her abdomen, squeezing her eyes closed.

When she opened them again he was gone, and she flicked her head over her shoulder to find him on the other side of the room.

"Don't go!" She blurted out desperately, her bottom lip quivering.

"I'm just taking my shoes off." He assured her, toeing his shoes off and stepping back towards the bed, climbing up onto it and crawling delicately over to her.

He settled his weight just behind her, pressing a soft kiss against her cheek, making her breath out a little sob all over again. She reached for his hand, pulling it up against his chest, his elbow burning against the scalding hot corner of hot water bottle poking out from the cover. He didn't care though - He would have gladly let it scald his whole body if it brought her some comfort.

"It wasn't my fault." She whispered, sounding more like she was convincing herself than him, and he frowned, leaning over her to look her in the eye.

"Of course it wasn't." He said immediately, feeling horrified that she could think that.

"I didn't lift anything heavy or... I didn't do anything." She protested, crying gently, rubbing her wet face on the pillow, squeezing his hand.

"It wasn't my fault." She breathed out again, sounding like she believed it a little more now.

"I know. I know." He murmured soothingly, curling his body around hers.

For a long time they lay there, him holding her, occasionally nuzzling her ear with his nose, pressing soft kisses against her cheek while she quietly cried.

"We're gonna be ok." He assured her and he felt her nod. He took a deep breath.

"And... when you're ready, we can try ag-"

"No." She stopped his thought before he could finish it.

"Norma..." He started gently.

"No, Alex. That's it. I was right - I'm too old. I'm done." She spoke the words firmly, and he floundered for a second.

"Honey. I know it's-"

"Stop. I'm done, Alex. I mean it. Don't push it. Please..." Her voice had a hard edge to it that faded into a pitiful whimper on the last word, and he opened and closed his mouth a few times, before settling down behind her, pressing his body more completely against hers.

"Ok."

He heard her gasp, like she hadn't expected him to give in so easily, and he wondered how the men she'd known before him had managed to deny her anything - She clearly still wasn't entirely used to getting her own way when it came to men and her body and it made his heart ache.

"Thank you... I love you." She whispered.

"I love you too. So much."

* * *

 **I cried alot writing this. I put them through so much. I don't know how Kerry Ehrin does it. She must be one tough cookie!**

 **I'm very sorry if anyone felt traumatised by this. I hope my trigger warning was taken seriously. Love you guys... Final chapter coming on Christmas Eve. :)**


	6. Chapter 6

Nothing felt right for a long time after that day. Norma alternated between telling him she was fine because "life goes on" and crying alot. Alex floundered helplessly, wrapping her up in his arms, desparately wishing he knew what to say or do to make it all ok again.

Summer came, and with it, came a slightly happier Norma. Slowly but surely things started to return to normal, though the both knew they'd lost something they'd never quite get back. One night, over dinner, Alex took a long sip of wine and finally mustered the courage to say something.

"Norma... I know what you said but-"

She cut him off, slamming her own glass back on the table, huffing angrily at her plate of food.

"Stop." She snapped. She glanced up at him, her face softening at his hurt expression. "Just... don't Alex. I can't do it again. Ok?"

He nodded sadly down at his chicken alfredo.

There was a pause, and a small sniffle, and he was afraid to look up for a moment.

"Am I not enough?" She asked in a tiny voice, and he looked up in shock. She was glumly pushing linguine around her plate, her bottom trembling like it always did when she was trying not to cry.

"What?" He blurted out in surprise.

She glanced up at him with watery eyes.

"Am I not enough? Without a baby, I mean?"

For a second, he couldn't even speak, his mouth dropped open.

"I mean... I know you really wanted this but..." Her voice broke. "I don't think I can do it again..."

She stood suddenly, grabbing her mostly full plate and angrily scraping the contents into the trash, while Alex sat frozen, unable to comprehend what she was saying for a moment.

"Are you gonna leave?" She asked in a tiny voice, directing her query into the trash can.

He jumped up suddenly, his wits returning to him suddenly, crossing to her in a heartbeat, taking the plate from her hand and slamming it on the side. She jumped, like she thought he might be angry with her. In a way, he was.

"I'm not leaving. I will never leave." He said seriously, grabbing her upper arms almost roughly.

"When are you gonna start believing that?"

She shrugged, sniffling, avoiding his gaze.

"Yes. I wanted to have a child with you." He started, and she let out a quiet little whimper.

"But I'm not... I'd never leave. I understand that you don't want to try again. I get it."

She opened her mouth to speak, staring at his chest, looking like she didn't know what to say.

"You're enough for me, Norma. You're more than enough."

She finally glanced up at him through wet lashes, smiling breathlessly at him, craning up on her toes, trying to kiss him. He swayed away, tightening his grip on her arms to stop her, a small smile playing on his lips.

"No. I'm mad at you." He smirked at her. He could sense her softening, could see the smile tugging at her reluctant lips as he turned his head away haughtily.

"You gotta stop thinking I'm going to leave you." He shook his head lightly as she pouted at him, her hands sliding delicately around his waist.

"I got feelings, Norma." His tone turned a little more serious as she playfully carried on trying to kiss him. "It hurts me that you always think the worst of me."

"I... I don't..." Her mouth opened and closed as she trailed off. "I'm sorry." She said finally, and he wrapped his hands around her suddenly, depositing her on the counter with a soft little gasp.

"I'll forgive you." She smiled at her, finally giving up on pretending to be mad at her. He wasn't even sure he knew how to be mad at her.

"Oh that's very gracious of you." She rolled her eyes at him, sliding her hands around his neck, as her thighs slid open, giving him space to stand between them.

He opened his mouth like he was going to speak, cut off as she suddenly tugged him forwards, crushing her lips against his.

His hands slid up her thighs, smoothing around the curve of her ass and then up to the small of her back, dragging her forwards to the edge of the counter.

"I feel very conflicted when you wear pants." He murmured, dragging his mouth away from hers, sliding his tongue along her jaw, as his hands toyed with the waistband of her grey pinstripe pants.

"Oh?" She muttered, raising one eyebrow at him.

"Yeah." He said gruffly, as his finger tips slid inside, managing to shove his hands into the tight material of her pants, brushing against the lace underneath.

"On the one hand," He squeezed his right hand as much as he could in the constricting material. "Your ass looks really good in pants."

She nodded in agreement, and he smiled at her confidence. He always loved it.

"On the other hand," He squeezed his left hand around the top of her ass cheek. "Less access."

"I see." She said quietly, nodding as she pretended to mull these points over deeply. His lips continued pressing against her jaw, moving down along her throat. "It must be very hard being you."

He grasped her wrist lightly, pulling her hand to press against the growing bulge in his pants.

"Very hard." He said pointedly, and she giggled out a faux shocked laugh, snatching her hand back from where it was sandwiched between them.

She tilted her head, giving him better access as he licked and sucked at her pulse point.

"I went back on the pill." She breathed out and he froze, pulling back to gaze at her enquiringly. She'd announced one day, not long after that horrible day at the hospital that she didn't want to go back on birth control straight away, to "give her body a break". He wasn't sure he entirely understood what that meant, but he had nodded gently, hiding his disappointment that this meant no sex for a while. He didn't mind. Not really. He would wait as long as she wanted - He couldn't imagine what she was feeling, how much she must be feeling like her body had betrayed her, so he just patted her hand sweetly, smiling at her.

"Of course. Whenever you're ready. I'm not-"

He had been cut off as she'd suddenly reached into her bag, slamming a box of condoms onto the dinner table.

"Jesus-" He spluttered, choking on a sip of wine as she smiled innocently at him.

"You're never too old to be embarrassed buying condoms. That's what I found out today."

He hadn't hated using them, but neither of them could describe themselves as fans and he felt a smile spreading across her face at the news she was back on birth control.

"Really?" He muttered.

"Mm hm." She nodded, licking her lip seductively, her hands toying with the hair at the nape of his neck.

He let out a little groan, his hips jerking forwards a little.

"God, I wish you weren't wearing pants."

"Mm?" She murmured, faux innocently, as he nuzzled his nose against her temple, his hands kneading her flesh down the back of her pants.

"Yes. I..."

She shoved him back suddenly and he stumbled, tripping as he stepped back. She jumped down from the counter, smiling at him wickedly, stepping around him and walking to the doorway before spinning on her heel.

"I'd better take them off then." She announced, and he gulped as she undid her button, shimmying the grey fabric down her legs deliberately slowly, bending to push them down to her ankles before stepping out of them completely.

His mouth dropped open as she straightened up slowly, twirling around very slowly to give him the full view of her lace-clad ass as she turned.

She glanced over her shoulder, smirking at his open mouthed expression.

"What are you waiting for?" She shrugged at him, stalking away before he could answer, swaying her hips deliberately as she walked. She was halfway up the stairs before he moved, coming to his senses, chasing after her. She squealed, starting to jog up the steps and he was mesmerised for a second, watching her ass sashay as she bounced up the stairs. He caught up to her, slapping her ass playfully, and she squealed and giggled as he swept her up into his arms, dragging his giggling, half naked wife into their bedroom, spending the night showing her just how much he loved her, baby or not.

* * *

Summer faded into Autumn, and Norma's mood changed again. She was quiet at breakfast, pushing her eggs around her plate, eating almost nothing, occasionally looking unhappily out of the window, frowning to herself.

"What's the matter?"

"I don't feel well." She said in a small voice, her brow creasing, pressing her hand against her forehead and taking a deep breath. He dropped his knife and fork with a clatter, standing immediately and rounding the table to crouch in front of her.

"I'm fine." She assured him, as he rested his hands on her knees, staring at her, his face a picture of concern.

"I just feel a bit under the weather. I didn't sleep well." This wasn't news to him. She'd tossed and turned all night, kicking the covers off them both a few times, until she shivered, sitting up and pulling the comforter back up to her neck, shaking like she was freezing. He'd wrapped her up in his arms every time she did it, stroking his hands along her back or her hair until she quietened again.

"You sure?" He reached for her, and she jerked away from his touch.

"I'm fine." She snapped, standing suddenly, pushing him back. She grabbed both of their plates and swept over to the sink, depositing them roughly into the water and he shook his head in confusion, not sure what he'd done wrong.

"Go to work." She mumbled suddenly, her tone a little softer now.

"Yes ma'am." He said, standing up and saluting, getting nothing but a small over-the-shoulder smirk at his little joke, before she turned back to the dishes.

"You sure you're ok?" He crossed over to her, wrapping his arms around her. She felt absurdly hot, even through their clothes.

She nodded tightly, and he pressed a kiss against her shoulder, his hand drifting up to press against her forehead.

"You're really hot...?" He queried.

"I'm fine. Honestly. It's nothing." She said, her voice tight and strange.

"Love you." He pecked her cheek, feeling how clammy her skin felt before he reluctantly let her go.

"Love you too." She choked out, and then he was gone, warily leaving the house, his jacket hanging loosely from his hands.

He sat in his SUV for what felt like a long time, frowning up at the house, feeling uneasy. He couldn't leave her like that, knowing she was lying about how ill she was feeling.

On a whim, he called Janine's phone.

"Janine?"

"Oh. Hi." There was a long pause, where he was pretty sure that wasn't Janine's voice, but he didn't know what to say.

"Who is it?" Janine's shrill tone filtered in from the background of the other end of the call, along with the gentle hum of a car engine.

There was a shuffling sound and then the sound of muffled conversation that he couldn't quite make out.

"Sorry Sheriff." Regina's voice was unmistakable now. "Janine's just driving at the moment. Can I help at all?"

He floundered for a second.

"Erm... I just needed to let you both know I might be late in today. My wife's ill."

"Ok." Regina said back simply. She was a woman of few words, especially when it came to Norma, who shared a frosty relationship with his receptionist.

"Why are you and Regina in the car?" He blurted out, frowning in confusion.

"Oh. Erm... We carpool." There was a hushed giggle in the background.

"But you live on opposite sides of town? It wouldn't make any sense to- Oh." He suddenly remembered Norma's prediction about the love lives of his staff, a small smile playing on his lips.

"Yeah." She said simply, and he could hear the smile in her voice.

"Ok. Well, tell Lahey I'll be in later, ok?"

"Sure." There was another bit of muffled conversation. "Erm... I hope your wife feels better soon."

Alex's mouth dropped open at Regina's concern for Norma, wondering if maybe he wasn't the only one who could be softened up by the love of a good woman.

He was so distracted by the idea of telling her all this, that he almost forgot why he came back up to the house, until he stood in the doorway, his eyes shooting upwards at the sound of her violently retching upstairs. The toilet had flushed by the time he had sprinted to the top of the steps, and he rounded the doorway just in time to see her sag heavily against the wall, wiping her mouth on the back of her hand. Her legs were splayed out to the side, and as he took in her deathly pale, sweating face, he could barely believe he'd only left her ten minutes ago.

Her eyes shot open when she realised she wasn't alone, and for a second, he assumed she'd be embarrassed for him to see her like this, probably trying to get him to leave, insisting that she was fine, so he was surprised when her face crumpled. She started to cry, her eyes wide and panicked as she gazed at him.

"I'm not pregnant." She said, sounding like she was trying to convince herself, or perhaps trying to cut down the idea before he could get his hopes up.

"I can't be... I can't be pregnant." She sniffled, shaking her head vehemently, and he crossed over to her, sinking down slowly to a crouch, reaching to press his hand against her forehead. She was burning up, her eyes glazed as they stared at him.

"I don't think this is morning sickness." He agreed, and she visibly sagged, mostly relieved that she was right, feeling a slight pang of disappointment there also.

"You're burning up." He announced worriedly.

"I'm dying." She said simply, and he laughed, in spite of his concern, cupping her face gently. She leaned heavily into his touch, like even holding her own head up was too much for her.

"Well, that's dramatic."

She started to laugh weakly, before the smile dropping from her face and she lunged forwards, hoisting herself up onto her knees and heaving into the toilet, throwing up the last of the tiny amount of food she'd eaten at breakfast. He surged forwards immediately, smoothing her hair away from her face, tenderly gathering it at the nape of her neck, his other hand smoothing across her back.

"It's ok." He murmured soothingly, as she flopped back against the tiled wall, her head dropping back, taking a deep, shaky breath.

"I'm sick." She said, sounding like a little girl. He nodded.

"I know honey." He pressed his hand back to her forehead, frowning again.

"You're really hot. Should I call a doctor or-"

She cut him off.

"Mmm mm. No. I'm fine." She said defiantly, her speech sounding slurred and strange, her breaths panting out as she shook her head. He gazed at her unsurely. Realistically, he could tell she was fine - It was probably stomach flu, and she'd feel awful for a couple of days, and then be ok, but he couldn't stop that bubble of panic rising up when he looked at her, taking in just how pale and clammy her face was, watching as her head lolled heavily to the side, as she murmured a soft noise of discontent.

"Come on. Let's get you back to bed." He said gently, reaching for her hands, guiding her to wrap them around his neck and scooping her up into his arms.

He struggled to his feet, feeling just how hot her body was through their clothes, her dress sticking to her under his hand. She curled against his chest, muttering half formed words that made him worry she was delirious, feeling like he was carrying a rag doll as she sagged weakly in his arms.

He sank down to the bed, settling her down and pulling back to wrap the covers up around her. His heart sank when he remembered the last time he had looked after her like this, that fateful day they'd both lost a part of themselves. She'd needed him then, and she needed him now, and he frowned as she tossed her head back and forth unhappily, clutching at her stomach, letting out a soft whimper of discomfort.

He disappeared into the bathroom for a second, returning with a cool damp washcloth, pressing it against her clammy forehead, watching her expression smooth out a little as relief flooded her features.

"I'm gonna get something to try and bring your fever down, ok?" He muttered and she nodded sleepily, her eyes still mostly closed, only fluttering open every now and then.

He stood, leaning over her to press a kiss against the top of her head.

"Thanks." She mumbled out, and he smiled down at her, before turning to leave.

"You would have been a great dad." She whispered, slurring her words as her fever tugged at her consciousness, and he froze.

He turned, watching as she sniffled gently, before curling onto her side, apparently drifting into a fitful sleep.

"I erm... I'm gonna get you some water." He said unnecessarily, trying to pretend that her fevered admission hadn't torn him apart, stirring up feelings he'd long since tried to repress.

Yes. He would have been a great dad...


	7. Chapter 7

**Sorry it took so long! I had a head cold and I'm a massive weakling! Apologies!**

 **Ok, so MASSIVE thanks to May on twitter who helped me figure out alot of the Cuban side of this. I wanted to do something to do with Alex's (assumed) Cuban heritage and she helped me looooads! Thanks!**

 **Also, Brooklyn originally requested a sexy Christmas fic soooooooo long ago! I didn't forget! See! :)**

 **And a special someone gave me the whole baby idea in the first place! Thank you xx**

 **Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and you have a safe-but-messy New Year's! xxx**

* * *

"What is that?" He said accusingly, throwing his jacket down as he walked into the kitchen.

"It's a poinsettia." She announced happily, sprucing up the leaves and turning to smile at him.

"Norma, it's december 1st."

"So?"

"So, it's too early to be getting a poinsettia." He pointed out reasonably, pouring them both a cup of coffee, watching as she turned to pout at him adorably.

"Don't be a grinch, Alex. It's just a plant."

He rolled his eyes at her, stalking over to her and handing her the cup, before narrowing his eyes at something on the windowsill.

"And that is?" He pointed at the figurine.

She floundered, shrugging innocently.

"Well... that is a tiny snowman." She admitted, before holding her hands up. "But, in my defence, this is tradition. You can't fight tradition." She said the words very seriously, but Alex wasn't buying it, glaring at the tacky little decoration.

He gazed at her, looking unimpressed as she took a sip, her eyes still wide and child-like.

"When Norman was little - When Norman and Dylan were little - " She corrected herself, looking awkward as she added Dylan in as an afterthought. "-We bought a pack of 24 tiny little ornaments, and they were all we had. We didn't really have much money back then." She cast her gaze to the floor, the way she always did when she talked about her past, and Alex starting to feel like a jackass for making a big deal out of her worn-out decoration.

"So, we started putting one out a day, from the first of December, to the 24th, and the game would be to find where I'd put the latest decoration." She placed her coffee cup on the surface behind her, and he took a step forwards, brushing his hands against her elbows gently.

"It made it seem less sad. To have such crappy Christmas ornaments. So I made it into a game." She was still gazing at the floor, biting her lip and Alex felt awful.

"Even when we got better decorations, nicer stuff, ya know? We still kept playing the game."

There was a long pause, and she turned slightly, reaching for the tired, faded little plastic snowman, and his hand shot out to stop her.

"I dunno. It's stupid. I don't know why I put it out. Norman isn't even here-" He cut her off, feeling like he'd been an ass.

"No." He said suddenly, and she turned back, letting him pull her hand away, gazing at him curiously. "It's nice." He said lamely, and she rolled her eyes.

"No it's not. It's stupid."

"No. I like it. It's your tradition. So now it's my tradition."

She stuck her bottom lip out for a second, a smile pulling at her lips.

"You don't think he's tacky?" She asked in her little girl voice, twisting back and forwards on the spot, and he grinned at her.

"He's the classiest tiny plastic snowman I've ever seen." He leaned in to kiss the tip of her nose, and she giggled. "I can't wait to see the rest of them."

She smiled broadly at him, pushing him back a little, leading him to sit down next to her at the table. She took a long sip of her coffee, deep in thought.

"What are you Christmas traditions?" She asked suddenly and he tensed up a little at the question. She tapped her ring against her cup for a second before ploughing on. "Last year was... I mean, everything was so strange. We barely decorated, I barely cooked. It was such a strange Christmas? We didn't really get chance to celebrate much. I didn't really get chance to ask about your traditions."

"My traditions..." He started, nodding to himself, puffing out a harsh breath. "Erm... well, apart from working too much, and drinking too much, I don't really have any." He tried to laugh, but it fell short.

She frowned at him, unable to comprehend.

"But..."

"Last Christmas was the first one in... oh maybe ten years that I haven't worked." She cocked her head at him like a confused puppy.

"Work?"

He barked out a laugh.

"Yes, Norma. I'm the Sheriff. Someone has to work over Christmas."

He hoped she'd leave it at that. But of course, she didn't.

"But why?"

He rubbed his hand through his hair, avoiding her gaze.

"To be honest, Norma. I've never really liked Christmas." He heard her gasp softly, like she couldn't imagine anyone not liking Christmas, but he carried on, just wanting to get the words out. He never liked to talk about any of this, but he couldn't lie to Norma. Something about her made him want to pour his heart out, no matter how much he wanted to pretend he was fine all the time. "I... I think Christmas is a time for family. And I don't have any family. So I guess I just never really enjoyed it. I would always rather work it and then go home and drink half a bottle of scotch and pretend it was just another day."

There was a long silence, and when he glanced up at her, she was staring at her hand on the table.

"Will you work this year?" She asked quietly, and he sighed.

"No. Of course not." He assured her gently. "I'll be with you."

She still gazed sadly at the table, and he sighed again, wishing he hadn't said anything.

"You wouldn't rather be working and drinking then?" She breathed out, and he rolled his eyes, almost exasperated with her.

"Of course not." She glanced up at him, meeting his sad eyes, her gaze softening.

"You really don't like Christmas?" She asked curiously.

"I..." He floundered for a moment. "I'll like it with you?" He offered. It wasn't enough for her. She sighed heavily.

"I'm sorry, honey." He said, wishing he'd never mentioned it. She shook her head.

"Don't be silly. Don't be sorry for not liking something." She was frowning at the wall again, like she was trying to take it all in.

"So even as a kid...?"

"I liked it as a kid." He interjected quickly, pleased to be watch her frown smooth out a little. He cast his mind back, sighing happily as he remembered his earliest Christmas memories. "Things were different back then. My mom was... she was better then. And my dad was different too. They were happy, I guess?" He smiled to himself, as she reached out to cover his hand with her own.

"Go on." She coaxed.

"Well, my grandma came across from Cuba once? That was fun." He smiled at the memory. "She made this ridiculous amount of food. More food than we could ever eat. She somehow cooked an entire pig. I'll never forget my mother's face when she walked into her kitchen."

Norma chuckled softly.

"Cuba? Is that where your family is from?" She felt stupid for not knowing such a simple fact about her own husband after a year of marriage.

He nodded.

"Yeah. My mom's family lived here for years, though they still have Cuban roots, but my dad's mom lived in Cuba till the day she died. My dad came here when he was 19, and managed to build a criminal empire right here, in White Pine Bay." His voice took on a hard edge. "So that's my family. Or lack thereof. And that's why I guess I've never been that keen on Christmas?" He shrugged, like it was no big deal, and she stood abruptly, crossing to plonk herself down on his lap.

He raised his arms up around her automatically as her hand brushed against his cheek.

"You have family." She said quietly, and he raised his gaze to look at her. "I'm your family now."

He smiled broadly, feeling a strange fluttering feeling in his stomach as he gazed at his wife. She was right. He married her. She was his family now.

"You're right." He leaned in to press a brief kiss against her lips, before standing, pulling her to her feet.

"I'm sorry I was a grinch. I can't wait to look for your little ornaments, or whatever traditions you have. Your traditions are my traditions now."

She leaned in, pulling him close, hiding her sad face against his chest as he hugged her, not realising how upset she was at his admission.

* * *

"Merry Christmas!" She yelled in his face, waking him from his slumber with a start.

"Jesus, Norma!" He exclaimed, jumping as she leaned over him, shaking the bed as she bounced on her knees.

"Fucking Christ! You scared the life out of me!" He breathed out, and she just giggled, suddenly pulling the sheets over her head, shimmying down under the covers.

"What are you-" He started, cut off as she whipped his boxers down, taking him in her mouth without hesitation. "Jesus..." He breathed out.

"Norma?" He started, wondering if he was dreaming, letting his hands slide under the sheet to gather her hair at the nape of her neck as she bobbed up and down, humming by way of answer, the vibrations humming through his body.

"Fuck." He murmured, as she swirled her tongue around his tip, before sinking down as deep as she could, spluttering slightly, one hand pumping him in time with the movements of her mouth, the other hand planting itself firmly on his hip, steadying herself.

His head sank back, and he let out a groan, resisting the urge to surge up into her mouth, as her movements quickened, sensing him growing closer, letting out a soft "mmmm" noise as he felt his groin tighten.

"Norma... baby... fuck..." He breathed out helplessly, as she sped up, not hesitating as his hips twitched upwards involuntarily a few times, stars bursting behind his eyes as he came in her mouth. She didn't slow, pumping her hands steadily as he finished, flicking her tongue around the tip a few tips, making him shudder as he felt her swallow hard. She released him with a slow pop, emerging from the sheet with a smug smile, her hair a halo of tangles around her face.

"Morning." She said sweetly. "Merry Christmas."

"It's Christmas Eve." He pointed out breathlessly.

She shrugged, shimmying up out of the sheet, flopping down next to him.

"Cuban thing, right? You celebrate Christmas Eve?" She turned to smile at him and he puffed out an incredulous laugh.

"Not like that!" He pointed out, and she giggled saucily.

"New tradition?"

He turned his head to look at her, smiling at her, before rolling on top of her, slinking down her body, throwing her thighs over his shoulders.

"Ok. Sure."

"Well... if you insist..." She murmured, as his tongue lapped against her, her head dropping back, and they forged a new Christmas Eve tradition together.

* * *

"Honey, I'm home!" He frowned at how cliche he sounded, before he sniffed the air, a frown furrowing his brow. He recognised the smell from somewhere.

She emerged from the kitchen, her apron on, looking more flustered than he'd ever seen her.

"Are you home already?" She snapped, looking panicked.

He laughed.

"Well... I could go out and come back in again if it would help...?"

She cut him off, surging forwards, pushing him upstairs, shoving him up the steps roughly.

"Go get changed!" She almost yelled, and he tripped up the stairs in a confused panic at her reaction.

"What? Why?"

"Omg Alex! Why do you have to question everything?" She sounded mad, and he knew better than the defy her when she was mad.

"What would you like me to change into?" He asked wearily, and she softened a little.

"I laid a shirt out on the bed." She announced, disappearing back into the kitchen without another word.

He was in the process of changing when he heard the doorbell ring and the soft murmur of voices. He obediently finished changing into the black pants and pale blue checked shirt she'd laid out for him before he tentatively made his way down the stairs, heading towards the murmur of voices from the living room.

He walked in to find Emma, her father and Dylan all sitting nervously on the couch. The whole room smelled like mint, and he didn't realise why till he glanced at their drinks, spotting the sprigs of mint sitting deep in their glasses of clear fizzing liquid.

"Hey." He said lamely, as they all jumped at his presence. All three of them jumped to their feet, and Alex awkwardly pressed a kiss against Emma's cheek before reaching to shake Dylan and Will's hands.

"Norma left a mojito for you." Will pointed out, a little awkwardly, as Alex leaned over, retrieving the glass from the table and taking a long sip, trying to buy himself a moment.

"So..." He started, shrugging nervously as they all made eye contact and looked away.

He'd had no idea they were coming round, expecting a quiet Christmas eve dinner just the two of them before the expected craziness of tomorrow. In truth, he'd had to work alot throughout December in preparation for daring to take Christmas day off, and he really had very little idea what Norma had planned for them. He tried to keep all of this off his face though, feeling like an idiot for not knowing they were coming over.

"You had no idea we were coming over, did you?" Emma blurted out, and Dylan and Will chuckled a little at Alex's shocked expression.

"What? No, no. I totally knew." He lied unconvincingly, shifting from one foot to the other as he took a long gulp of his drink. He tugged at the collar of his dress shirt uncomfortably, the silence stretching on before Norma strode back into the room, looking much calmer than when he'd first come home. He looked her up and down, a slow smile spreading across his face as he took in her outfit, a 50's style burgundy dress, nipped in at the waist, with matching blood red lipstick that he'd never seen her wear before. He liked it, gazing lustfully at her, holding an arm out, instantly feeling himself relax as she tucked herself against his side.

"You look beautiful." He muttered, not caring that they weren't alone, and she blushed, glancing at Emma's awestruck expression before coyly reaching up to peck his cheek.

"Thank you." She whispered shyly, before turning back to their guests.

"How are the drinks?" She trilled happily at them, and they all nodded.

"Good. Good, thanks." Will said gently, as Alex gave her a little squeeze.

"You haven't had one?"

She glanced up at him, wriggling out of his arms and turning on her heel, her blonde curls flaring out as she moved.

"I haven't had chance! I've been whipping up a culinary masterpiece!" She lifted her shoulder cutely, and he grinned at her.

"Right. Come on in. It's almost ready."

She ushered them through to the dining table, which was already laden with food, a big space left in the middle which was clearly for the main event.

"Ok, sit sit!" She insisted, grabbing Dylan's arm before he could take his seat. "Honey? Can you come help me with something? It's kinda heavy."

Alex watched them leave, his eyes darting around at the plates on the table, frowning at the contents of them - He expected to see the usual side dishes she did when she made a family dinner, usually beef or chicken, with all the traditional trimmings, so he was confused by the array of exotic looking salads on display. He glanced at the other side, noticing the huge platter of steaming rice and beans and he cocked his head to the side, his confusion deepening.

"Hey, Norma?" He yelled to her through the open door. He was getting more used to the constant yelling these days. "What are we having for-"

He was cut off as Dylan appeared in the doorway, struggling to carry what looked to be an entire pig on a huge silver tray, with Norma trotting along behind him with a basket of bread.

Alex half stood, his mouth hanging open in shock as he helped Dylan manoeuvre the meat onto the table, gazing in shock from the array of food, to Norma's hesitantly pleased face.

"Is it ok?" She asked gently, her eyes wide and expectant.

"I couldn't get a whole pig?" She shrugged apologetically as she set the basket of warm white baguettes on the table. "But... this was the biggest cut the butcher could do for me. I had to get the marinade recipe off the internet and I couldn't get the exact right kind of chilli so I don't know how authentic it's going to taste? But the Cuban bread was actually super easy to make-"

He cut her off.

"I can't believe you did all this for me." He said quietly, his tone sincere and serious as he caught her eye over the table, and then he remembered they weren't alone, shaking himself and standing fully, reaching for the carving knife.

"I hope everyone likes pork?" Norma said gently, and everyone laughed lightly, starting to hand over plates and bowls, loading them up with more food than the five of them could ever hope to eat.

Alex found Norma watching him expectantly every time he took a bite of something new, and he laughed, shaking his head every time.

"Is it ok?" She kept asking, darting her eyes at everyone at the table, but mainly focusing on Alex's response, watching as he enthusiastically ate everything she put in front of him.

"It's perfect." He assured her. "If I didn't know better, I'd say my abuela made it herself."

She grinned back at him, and he knew there was no higher compliment he could give her cooking. In truth, it wasn't exactly like his grandmother would have made, but it was pretty damn close, and he wasn't sure he could voice how much it meant to him that she'd gone to these lengths to give him his childhood Cuban Christmas memories.

"So, Alex. Emma tells me your family is from Cuba?" Will said politely, and the table fell into an easy chat, everyone sharing stories of their Christmas traditions, Will and Alex exchanging tales of Cuban and English Christmas traditions, laughing over the differences there as more mojitos were poured.

It felt much later than it was when Will, Emma and Dylan finally departed, all sent home with a huge quantity of roasted pork and Cuban bread.

"Will, it's been a pleasure." Alex said warmly, shaking his hand. Despite a slightly awkward start, the two men had bonded over dinner, and now, being forced together at "family" gatherings didn't seem so bad.

"Let me know about that fishing trip?"

"Oh yeah, yeah. I'll let you know."

Norma raised her eyebrows at the exchange, before pulling Emma and Dylan in for a crushing hug.

"You two take care, ok?"

"Thank you so much for having us Norma. Merry Christmas!" Emma trilled sweetly in her ear, before Dylan pecked her on the cheek.

"Thanks, Mom. Have a good day tomorrow." He muttered, and she smiled happily at him as she pulled back. Any show of kindness from Dylan didn't elicit the same tearful gasp it used to - He was less sparing with his emotions these days, she suspected partly due to Emma's cheerful influence, and Norma was finally realising that she was worthy of love from her first son.

Alex slunk his arms around Norma's shoulders as they waved them goodbye, watching until they safely pulled out of the parking lot because he'd learned that she liked to watch until people were safely on the road.

"Come on." She jerked her head behind her, taking his hand and pulling him inside, turning to grin saucily at him over her shoulder.

He was kissing her before they even made it through their bedroom door, his hands tugging at her waist, pulling her flush against him. She giggled against his mouth, letting him back her up against the dresser, sending her makeup clattering to the floor as they crashed into it, one leg coming up to wrap around his thigh as he ground himself against her.

He span her suddenly, his hands sliding across her body, pulling her back against his chest, his teeth nipping her ear lobe. Her hands shot out to steady herself, landing heavily on the surface as one large hand slid up to palm her breast through her dress, the other smoothing over her stomach, down to press lightly between her legs, making her arch her back. Her eyes shot open, and she watched herself for a moment, her breaths panting out of her swollen lips, her eyes heavy and dark as he roughly pressed his hands against her threw the thick burgundy fabric she was wearing.

His eyes found hers in the mirror and he smirked at her, before she was pushing back, shoving him towards the bed, and following him onto it, clambering onto his lap as he sat heavily on the edge of the bed.

"Ok... so-" She started, wrenching her lips away from his for a second, settling her weight on his knees and draping her arms around his neck.

"I want a pony, and a barbie..." He grinned as she listed things in her sweet little voice, realising what she was doing, her eyes drifting thoughtfully to the ceiling while his hands found the zip at the back of her dress. She giggled at herself as she continued. "And rollerskates. And rollerskates for the pony. And rollerskates for the barbie..."

She'd begun to slowly rise to her feet as she spoke, eventually rising to her full height, tugging the thick wine coloured taffeta down her arms, sliding the dress off teasingly slowly. He'd been expecting one of her classy simple little black slips, the ones she always wore under formal dresses, so he gulped at the sight of sheer black lace being revealed as she pealed the dress from her body.

"You can have anything you want." He said breathlessly, letting his eyes rake up and down as she bent down, pushing the fabric over her hips and then standing expectantly in front of him, clad in a expensive looking babydoll, her breasts pushed up in intricate pale pink satin and black lace cups, the rest of her body showcased by the almost completely transparent fabric. His eyes travelled hungrily down her body, making out the shape of truly tiny panties under the garment, stifling a groan as she pushed the dress completely down her legs, revealing lace topped hold ups. She stepped out of it, placing her hands on her hips, raising her eyebrows as she glanced from his awestruck expression down to her body.

"Well?" She shrugged at him, and he barked out a breathless laugh.

"I like." He choked out, holding his hands out to her. She took a confident step forwards, nudging his thighs open with her heeled foot, stepping in between them deliberately slowly, never breaking eye contact.

Her hands reached for his face, brushing her thumbs along his cheekbones before he buried his face in between her breasts, gently licking and kissing the skin there, before he glanced at her, holding her gaze as yanked down one cup, surging forwards to suck one taut nipple into his mouth, feeling it harden and pebble under his tongue, his hands coming up to hold her waist firmly.

His hands dropped suddenly, sliding up the backs of her thighs, smoothing over the lace tops of her stockings and over the smooth skin of her ass, hooking his thumbs into her tiny black panties, starting to slide them down.

"I thought you hated thongs?" He muttered against her breast and she smirked at the roughness in his voice, her hands combing through his thick hair.

"But you don't?" She reminded him with a shrug, as he tugged the tiny scrap of lace down, letting them fall the floor. She flicked them behind her, stepping out of her heels at the same time.

He made a small whining noise, pulling back to gaze up at her imploringly.

"Leave them on-" He began to beg her and she cut him off with a shrill giggle, pressing her finger against his lips.

"I will wear a thong for you, Alex Romero." She started, as his hands swept under the sheer lace to press against her bare ass. "I will drive two towns over to find a butcher who will sell me the vast majority of a pig, I will spend the day baking Cuban bread wearing lingerie that cost more than all of my other underwear put together." She leaned down to kiss him, pulling back up before he could deepen the kiss.

"But I will not wear shoes on my Egyptian cotton sheets." She explained gently, a smile tugging at her lips, and he chuckled, shaking his head at her as she finished stepping down from her heels. She had barely stepped out of them when she was shoving him back, clambering onto his lap and straddling his waist, grinning down at him as she started to unbutton his shirt.

"I like this shirt on you." She muttered, undoing it quickly and letting him sit up a little to pull it off.

"Yeah, I know. You picked it out." He chuckled at her, his laugh fading as she ducked her head, kissing his throat gently, making him shiver under her.

"I have very good taste." She murmured back, kissing a determined path down his neck, shimmying down his body to press a line of wet kisses along his chest. Her nails travelled along side her, scratching through his chest hair lightly, as she dipped her tongue into his navel, before her hands found his belt and she paused for a second, smirking up through her lashes at him.

"Noche buena." She said sweetly, in the worst Spanish he'd ever heard and he chuckled, as she made short work of his belt and fly, his head dropping back as he gently laughed at her.

"What?" She demanded, clearly insulted by his laughter, and he tugged her up to him, letting her carry on pulling his pants and boxers down as he kissed her.

"Noche buena." He corrected her pronunciation, and she let him roll himself on top of her, kissing him hard, humming her approval.

"Sexy." She muttered at his perfect Spanish, arching her back to let him kiss down the side of her throat, sucking and licking at her pulse point, leaving a tiny bruise that he'd secretly admire for days, even though he knew it'd get him in trouble.

She reached between them, taking him in her hand, guiding him to rub between her legs, her head dropping back as he teased her, rubbing against her clit before he slowly eased himself inside.

"Ohhhh..." She breathed out, as he paused, his hand sliding down her side to hitch her thigh up higher, holding it up around him.

He began to move, each thrust forcing a soft pant from her throat, her eyes dropping closed, and he watched her, watching the minute changes on her face every time he pressed inside her.

"I wanna..." She muttered, her hands flying to his shoulders to still him for a second, not finishing her thought before he was reading her mind, rolling them so she was atop of him. She smiled breathlessly down at him, pleased that he could always tell what she wanted, before she was moving again, undulating her hips in small circles, her hands pressing against his chest to steady herself. She made a grab for his hands, pressing them against her breaths, letting out a perfect little cry as he pinched her nipples, before he gently stroked his thumbs across them, soothing the slight sting.

"I love you." She whispered, as she leaned down, kissing him sloppily, her hand drifting above where their bodies were joined, hurrying herself along with a needy, frantic motion of her fingers.

"Alex, Alex..." She panted out desperately, and he could only murmur a choked out "Love you..." before his hips were twitching up to meet her thrust for thrust, his grip on her breasts tightening, feeling her body clamp down around him, as her moans quietened for a moment while she held her breath.

"Ohhh..." She breathed out a ragged moan as she came, pulling him along with her, managing to weakly keep moving on top of him as his hips thrust upwards a few more times, before his hands shot to her hips, stopping her, stilling her and pulling her down to lie flat on top of him.

"Merry Christmas." She muttered breathlessly, and he chuckled, their bodies shaking together as he did.

She rolled off him, toppling to the side gracelessly, flopping down onto the pillows while they both regained their breathing.

"You can open a gift at midnight on noche buena, you know." He said suddenly, and she let her head fall to the side, her mouth dropping open in excitement.

"Really?"

He nodded at her, and she beamed at him.

"Yay!" She sat up, huffing out a breath.

"Go get us one then!" She insisted, and he laughed at her demanding ways, reaching for his boxers and pulling them back on, before jogging downstairs. When he came back, she was still wearing the baby doll, but she had pulled a pair of his comfy stretch boxers on underneath it, and she was sat cross legged, waiting patiently.

"Oooh yay!" She said upon his return, frowning a little when he handed her a little red envelope, not an actual gift.

"I wanted to wait till tomorrow but..." He said, grinning from ear to ear as she turned it over in her hands.

"But... I can't unwrap this?" She said a little dejectedly, as she glanced at the gift he'd chosen for himself.

"Trust me. I think you'll like it."

"If you've adopted me a panda or something, I'm not gonna be happy..." She grumbled, as he settled himself down opposite her, watching her as she pulled the envelope open, and pulled out the papers inside.

"What is it?" She demanded, too impatient to read it, her brow furrowing as she scanned the pages.

"We're going to Hawaii!" He announced happily, and she frowned, turning the papers over in her hands, reading them slowly.

There was a long pause, where she didn't really react, and he started to feel a little uneasy.

"When?" She said finally.

"Whenever we want." He said, his tone a little less excited now. "But I thought we could go in the Summer. June maybe-"

"I can't go in June." She cut him off, still staring at the tickets, avoiding his gaze. " _We_ can't go in June." She corrected herself.

"Okay..." He started slowly, not really sure what to say. He thought she'd be thrilled, and was pretty disappointed by her lukewarm reaction.

"We don't have to go if you don't want-"

She finally glanced up at him, her eyes shining with unshed tears, smiling gently at him.

"No!" She cut him off. "I'd love to go to Hawaii." She breathed out, leaning across the bed to press a soft kiss against his lips.

"Can we go in... March maybe?" She asked quietly, shrugging at him and he frowned in confusion.

"I mean... yeah? I'm sure we can? But... you wanna go to Hawaii in March? Instead of the summer time?" He laughed at her, feeling like maybe he'd never quite understand the strange mind of his wife.

She nodded.

"We... we can't go in the summer." She repeated, and he nodded, shrugging helplessly like he couldn't figure her out, reaching for his own gift that he'd picked out. She watched him for a second, biting her lip into her mouth nervously.

"I love it." She whispered, assuring him and he looked up, nodding at her, looking like he wasn't quite convinced. "I do!" She said insistently, tapping the envelope against her bottom lip for a moment.

"Wait." She held up a hand to stop him, leaning forwards to rip the gift from his hand before he could begin to unwrap it. "It's a watch." She announced, and he laughed, as she tossed it onto the bed besides him and reached for something in her bedside drawer.

"I was going to wait until tomorrow..." She said gently, casting her gaze down coyly, as she pulled a small white envelope out of the drawer, pulling her knees up against her chest, and pressing her face against them.

"Have you adopted me a panda?" He asked, chuckling to himself, glancing down at the long thin envelope in his hand.

She didn't laugh, only smiled lightly, biting her lip as she watched him pulled the envelope open. It was a card, and he frowned in confusion as he looked at the back of it.

"You already got me a card-?" He muttered, as he slid it out and turned it over in his hands, freezing as he took it in.

 _Happy birthday, daddy!_ said colourful bubble writing, and he read and reread it, trying to make sure his eyes were really working. He glanced up at her to find her excitedly pressing her face against her knees, grinning broadly at him.

"What..?" He started, flicking open the card, something dropping onto his lap as he did.

"To the big daddy of White Pine Bay. Surprise!" She'd written in her swirly hand writing, and he glanced down, his mouth hanging open as he reached for the sonogram picture that had fallen onto his lap.

"But... how?" He spluttered out.

"You know when I nearly died?"

He nodded. She'd dramatically taken to calling the time she'd had stomach flu "the time she nearly died" and he'd just let her.

"I threw up my pill. And then... I was kinda out of it. And I forgot to take it?" She shrugged casually, and he just kept glancing from her face to the picture in his hands and then back again.

"I thought I'd be fine. But..." She trailed off, finally taking in his expression of pure shock, her smile faltering a little.

"How... I mean... Did you go for a scan without me? How... far... I mean...?" He fumbled over his words, stuttering.

"Nearly 11 weeks. They don't usually do scans so early but I screamed at them until they did." He beamed at her, his expression finally smoothing out at the thought of her demanding a procedure they didn't want to give her.

"I didn't want to go alone but... I was afraid of..." She trailed off, and he nodded numbly.

"So... this is?" He waved the picture a little, the feeling starting to return to his numb fingers. "I mean... You're sure?" She nodded, and he glanced at the fuzzy picture, trying to figure it out and giving up, breaking into a sudden happy laugh.

"Pretty sure-" She was cut off as he lunged at her, pressing her back tenderly against the pillows to kiss her, both of them laughing into each other's mouths.

"So I can't go to Hawaii in June. I'll be too big then." She said tentatively, and he chuckled, brushing the hair away from her face.

"Fuck Hawaii." He mumbled, slinking down her body, feeling her laugh vibrate through her skin.

"No! Not "fuck Hawaii!"" She said, outraged. "We're going in March." She said defiantly.

"I'll take you anywhere you wanna go." He murmured back distracted, as he pushed up the sheer fabric of her lingerie, revealing her smooth stomach, nuzzling his nose against it.

He kissed her stomach, glancing up at her to see her smiling tearfully down at him, her hand running through his hair as he dipped his head again, peppering her whole abdomen with soft gentle kisses.

"Noche buena?" She mumbled, sniffling as he tenderly smoothed his hand across her abdomen, picturing the tiny life inside her.

"A very good night." He assured her, wriggling back up to kiss her.

"Merry Christmas, Norma."


End file.
